TOEFL TPO -1 Writing Task 2 Sample: Professor: Humans live in the environment, depending on it as well. We need everything
from the environment: food, clothing, medicine, and the list goes on. As the economy
develops, we humans are struggling to strike a balance between the economy and the
environment. Before the next class, I want you to talk about the following question:
Should we slow down economic development to protect the environment?
Claire: I think economic development comes before the environment. If people cannot
live well enough, they would ensure their survival even at the cost of the environment.
Especially in less developed areas, when the slow economic growth can hardly meet
people's basic needs, the environment would be at stake. To be more specific, people
need food and products to support themselves and their families. When they are short of
proper supplies of living essentials, it is understandable that they would grow food and
manufacture products to survive, even at the cost of the environment. They are not the
ones to blame because survival is the priority of everybody. In this case, the culprit of the
worsening environment is the backward economy in such underdeveloped areas.
Paul: I still think that the top priority is the environment. Without the environment and
everything it has been and will be providing for humans, we cannot even exist, not to
mention boosting the economy! For the long-term development and prosperity of human
society, we should realize the significance of environmental protection and slow down the
economy to better preserve animals, plants, and our planet Earth. Only by protecting the
environment can humans and human civilization go a long way. • LingoLeap